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UNITED STATES FFICE.

PATENT VILLIAM GRIFFITH, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLW'ANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIM- SELF AND JAMES C. GRAY, OF SAME PLACE.

PROCESS OF PURIFYING MOLTEN IRON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,085, dated November 27, 185.3.

Application filed May .25, 1853.

To (ZZZ whom zit may concern.-

Be it known that I,WrLLLiM GRIFFITH, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes for Purifying Molten Iron; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of iron and steel; and it consists in treating the molten metal with sulphate of copper and chlorate of potash in order to refine it and to remove impurities therefrom. These chemicals may be added or introduced into the molten metal after it has been run from the furnace into the ladle or mold, or they may be added to the metal in Bessemer converters, puddling, refining, openhea-rth, cupola, blast, and other furnaces.

I will now describe my invention, so that others skilled in the art may use the same.

When the metal has beenreduced to a molten state in the furnace, sulphate of copper and chlorate of potashequal parts of eachare added thereto. These chemicals unite with the impurities and rise to the surface with the slag, leaving the refined and purified metal free to be drawn from the furnace. In the puddling furnace the chemicals should be added to the metal while itis still boiling and before it comes to nature. In order that the chemicals may act propcrly, care should be taken to place them beneath the surface of the molten metal. This may be easily accomplished by inclosing in thin metal cases or boxes.

Instead of introducing the sulphate of copper and chlorate of potash into the furnace, they maybe placed in the ladle, mold, or Res 40 semer converter before the molten metal is poured therein.

(No specimens The amount of sulphate of copper and chlorate of potash to be added to the metal depends upon the quality of the iron or steel and the amount of impurities, phosphorus, and other foreign substances contained therein; but for ordinary grades of metal fortyfive ounces of sulphate of copper and alike quantity of chlorate of potash may be used with each ton of metal.

The advantages of my invention are that the phosphorus and other foreign substances are removed from the metal, and it is therefore tough and fibrous throughout, and a superior quality of manufactured iron or steel may be produced from an inferior quality of metal.

I am awarethat in various compounds for treating molten metal for the elimination of impurities the sulphate of copper as well as chlorate of potash have been employed, each in conjunction with some one or more other chemicals, and therefore do not claim either separately as components of any compound; but I am not aware that the two chemicals specified have been used conj ointl y without the addition of other chemicals, and, therefore,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

Vitnesscs:

W. B. CORWIN, J. K. BAKEWELL. 

